Page 43 of Ice-Cold Obsession

“Just not feeling it today, Coach.”

“You need to get your head in the game. The team needs you.”

“I know. I’ll do better.”

But I won’t. I can’t.

He stares at me for a moment, then nods. “Get some water. Clear your head.”

I grab a water bottle and sit down, staring at the floor as the guys talk about strategy. Zyair is drawing plays on a whiteboard. Cory is adjusting his equipment. Taj is pacing back and forth, hyping himself up.

They all believe we can still win this.

And I’m the reason we won’t.

In the second period, I run into Cory during a play. I make it look like I’m going for the puck, but I collide with him instead. He goes down hard, and the ref blows the whistle. The crowd boos.

“What are you doing?” Cory snaps as he gets up, shoving me.

“Sorry. Accident.”

He glares at me, and I can see the frustration in his eyes. The team is struggling, and I’m making it worse. He shoves me again before skating away, and I let him because I deserve it.

Coach benches me. The humiliation is strong as I take a seat. The crowd is murmuring, and I can feel their disappointment. Some of them are booing. Others are just silent and watching the game.

“What’s up with you today?” Zyair asks during the intermission.

“Just off my game, I guess.”

“We need you out there. Whatever’s going on, you need to push through it.”

I nod. “I know.”

He looks at me for a moment, studying my face. I can tell he’s trying to figure out what’s wrong, but he won’t find the answer. Not the real one.

“All right,” he says finally. “But get your head in it.”

“I will.”

In the third period, Coach puts me back on the ice. We’re down by two, and the team is fighting hard to catch up. The energy has shifted. Everyone’s playing faster, harder, and more desperate. Taj scores, and we’re only down by one now. The momentum is building, and we have a chance.

During a timeout, Zyair pulls me aside. “What do you think? They’re playing tight defense. We need something they won’t expect.”

This is my chance. I suggest a tactic that sounds good on paper but won’t work in practice. Not against this team. It’s too aggressive and too risky. The defense will see it coming and shut it down. But Zyair won’t realize that until it’s too late.

“What if we push hard on the left and draw their defense out? Then we can slip through the middle.”

Zyair’s brow furrows, and I can see him running through the play in his head. “You think that’ll work?”

“Yeah. They won’t see it coming.”

He nods slowly. “All right. Let’s do it.”

We execute the play. I push left like I said, and the defense follows. But they’re faster than I made it seem, and they don’t get drawn out as much as I suggested they would. When Taj tries to slip through the middle, he gets blocked immediately. The puck gets stolen, and the other team races down the ice.

They score.

Game over.